lot

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈlät

plural lots

Synonyms of lot next

: an object used as a counter in determining a question by chance see also throw in one's lot with

: the use of lots as a means of deciding something

One was chosen by lot to represent the group.

: the resulting choice

: something that comes to one upon whom a lot has fallen : share

The will provided for equal lots for all the children.

: one's way of life or worldly fate : fortune

the lot of man, to suffer and to die—

Alexander Pope

: a portion of land

: a measured parcel of land having fixed boundaries and designated on a plot or survey

built his home on a half-acre lot

: a movie studio and its adjoining property

: an establishment for the storage or sale of motor vehicles

a used car lot

: a number of units of an article, a single article, or a parcel of articles offered as one item (as in an auction sale)

Lot 45 is a dining room set.

: all the members of a present group, kind, or quantity

—usually used with the

sampled the whole lot of desserts

: a number of associated persons : set

fell in with a rough lot

: kind, sort

The recruits were a sorry lot.

: a considerable quantity or extent

a lot of money

lots of friends

verb

lotted; lotting

transitive verb

: allot, apportion

: to form or divide into lots

Lot

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈlät

: a nephew of Abraham who according to the account in Genesis escaped from the doomed city of Sodom with his wife who turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back

Phrases

all over the lot

: covering a wide or varied range

received bids all over the lot

Choose the Right Synonym for lot

fate, destiny, lot, portion, doom mean a predetermined state or end.

fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome.

the fate of the submarine is unknown

destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end.

the country's destiny to be a model of liberty to the world

lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance

it was her lot to die childless

, portion implying the apportioning of good and evil.

remorse was his daily portion

doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate.

if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

Examples of lot in a Sentence

Noun (1) He bought the vacant lot across the street. They own the house on the corner lot. We took a tour of the Universal lot. The organization has done much to improve the lot of underprivileged youth. Unhappy with her lot in life, she moved to the city to start over. Verb everyone is lotted opportunities in life, and it's their responsibility to take them

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

By April of this year, only a handful of new Bolts remained on dealership lots. —

Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 5 Nov. 2024 Built to its lot lines on all sides, the landmarked tower has a palazzo-type facade that extends from ground to roof, meant to assure of its strength and stability. —

Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 5 Nov. 2024 Wooded lot on Lake Drive for $2.2 million A 2.5 acre estate on Lake Drive in Whitefish Bay sold for $2.2 million on Oct. 18. —

Genevieve Redsten, Journal Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024 The auction will be held Nov. 18-22 in Costa Mesa with lot viewing beforehand Nov. 12-15 at the Whitman Winter Expo. —

Samantha Gowen, Orange County Register, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lot

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English lot, lott "object used to decide a matter by chance, decision by the use of such objects, what one receives through such a decision, destiny, share," going back to Old English hlot, going back to Germanic *hluta- (whence also Old Frisian hlot, lot "lot," Old High German hluz, Old Norse hlutr), noun derivative from a verb *hleutan- "to cast lots" (whence Old English hlēotan "to cast lots, obtain, gain as one's lot," Old Saxon hliotan "to obtain," Old High German liozan "to cast lots," Old Norse hjlóta "to get by lot, obtain, undergo"), of uncertain origin

Note: An o-grade ablaut derivative is evident in Old English hlȳt, hlīet "lot, share," Old Saxon hlōt, Old High German hlōz, Old Norse hlautr (conflated with a different word meaning "blood sacrifice"), Gothic hlauts. The Germanic verb has been compared with Lithuanian kliū́ti "to get caught on, bump into, hinder," kliudýti "to bump into, meet, hinder," Old Church Slavic ključiti sę "to happen, come to pass," but the proposed semantic connection is tenuous.

Verb

Middle English lotten, derivative of lot lot entry 1

Noun (2)

Hebrew Lōṭ

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1534, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of lot was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing lot

Cite this Entry

Style

“Lot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lot. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

lot

noun

ˈlät

: an object used as a counter in determining a question by chance

: the use of lots as a means of deciding something

choose by lot

: the choice resulting from deciding by lot

: something that comes to one by or as if by lot

: one's course in life especially as decided by chance

: a piece or plot of land

owns the corner lot

a building lot

: a motion-picture studio and its surrounding property

: a number of articles offered (as at an auction) for sale as one item

: a number of associated persons : set

the lot that hangs around the arcade

: a large amount, quantity, or number

a lot of space

a lot of books

lots of food

had been there lots of times

Legal Definition

lot

noun

: a portion of land

specifically : a measured parcel of contiguous land having fixed boundaries and recorded (as on a plat) with the appropriate authority or office (as a registry of deeds)

: a single article, a number of units of an article, or a parcel of articles offered as one item (as in an auction sale)

specifically : a parcel or single article under the Uniform Commercial Code which is the subject matter of a separate sale, lease, or delivery whether or not it is sufficient to perform the contract see also odd lot, round lot

Geographical Definition

Lot

geographical name

ˈlät

ˈlȯt

river 300 miles (483 kilometers) long in southern France flowing west into the Garonne River

Last Updated: 20 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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lot

noun (1)

verb

noun (2)

Synonyms

Examples of lot in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near lot

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Legal Definition

Geographical Definition

geographical name